My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 130

Tarryn

Saying I’m scared would be the understatement of the year. My bones are rattling underneath my skin. My breaths are coming in fast. Alex’s fox form is hideous, huge, and terrifying—I can’t believe how easy it was for him to kill those other werewolves!

I’m still shaken by it.

Alex crushed a werewolf in his hand, and another was stomped under his foot until a splat of b***d was the only thing. I don’t think I will ever forget the sound of breaking bones.

“Tarryn—”

I force myself to lift my chin to face Alex.

He is lying down on his stomach, staring at me. Shudders sweep down my spine when I look into his face. It’s not human or fox-like. It’s a grotesque mixture, yet I see a flicker of his soul in his many white eyes. He is inside there, somewhere, underneath all the chaos.

Maybe I can reach him?

“H-hello there, big guy…” I hate how afraid and weak my voice is coming out, but I can’t exactly help it.

Alex is breathing into my face, and I watch him slowly reach out his forefinger or paw. Whatever. It touches my shoulder with the claw retracted into his skin. He is huge. I can’t fathom how much concentration it must have taken him to be so gentle.

I let out a deep breath. “This is so strange…”

Alex winces. “Tarryn… not… scared… not… of… me… please…”

His voice is deafening, and I grimace. “Your voice is so loud…”

“Please… please…” Alex’s bottom l*p trembles. He is all sharp teeth, but he seems emotional. “Not… scared…”

Is he still trying to tell me not to be afraid of him?

“It will be okay… it will be fine…” I whisper, even though I don’t know if that’s true. I have no idea where we are, and Alex just murdered a bunch of people and seemed to enjoy the violence.

“Back… other… dimension…” Alex rumbles. “Not… good…”

“You took us here, so you can take us back, right?” my voice is more confident now, stronger. “And you can shape-shift into a human again. The bad werewolves are gone. We are… safe.”

He blinks at me repeatedly without saying a word. I tilt my head at him, daring to stretch my arm to touch his nose. It’s hot to the touch with red fur, and Alex closes his eyes and shape-shifts with a sweep of the wind.

The fox disappears, and Alex’s human form falls to the ground… well… almost. He looks different. For starters, the nine-tails are still there, and I’m pretty sure he has fox ears at the top of his head. All red, and… there are also tattoos all over his skin. Red slashes.

Holy s**t.

Do I truly have a monster mate now?

I stare at him.

Alex is shaking and drenched in a cold sweat. His black hair is glued to his forehead. B***d streaks his skin, but it’s not his own. He didn’t get injured in the battle. No. I believe he looks rough because his body is not used to shape-shifting into his ginormous fox.

He also has new body parts now…

“Tarryn…” Alex croaks. His skin looks clammy, and seeing his new twitching fox ears is weird. “Do you hate me?”

“Hate you?” I crouch and glare at him. “No, I don’t hate you. But Alex, you killed all those people, and then you laughed. It was… horrifying.”

“I lost control…” he admits in a sad, tired voice. “They were hurting you, Tarryn. You were being chased—I could feel you being in danger from a mile away, and… I changed.”

“Did you have to laugh while killing them, though?”

“I—…” he stares down at the ground. “I’m sorry? I don’t remember that… I just… I want to keep you safe. Protect my mate. I would do anything to keep you from harm.”

As sick as it is, my heart clenches, and I look around. The skies are red, and our surroundings look like a wasteland from hell. “We should probably not be sitting out here. It doesn’t feel safe.”

Alex pushes himself up to sit. He is entirely naked and so gorgeous it’s a stark and bizarre contrast to his other form. Ironic that a man so beautiful can turn into something so terrifying.

“Are you…” he hesitates briefly, eyeing me up and down. The expression he makes is unhappy. “Are you… afraid of me now?”

“I—…” Alex is smiling up at me, but his eyes are glossy and sad. I avert my gaze even though it hurts. He already knows the answer. “I’m still in love with you, Alex, but… yes…” I shudder. “I don’t like your other form.”

“I see…”

“But I can live with your new ears and tail… the rainbow eyes are a bit intense but beautiful.”

Alex freezes. “New ears and tail?”

I witness him stand up and reach up to his head with his hands, widening his eyes when he squeezes his new ears. A look of sheer disgust crosses his features before it turns to panic, and he starts hyperventilating.

“I’m a monster… not human anymore… I’m… I have ears now…” as he speaks, his tails swoosh around, and he trips over his own feet when he sees them flowing around him. “And I have tails—I’ve turned into a f*****g dog, Tarryn! I’m a monster! I’m a freak. I can’t—”

“Alex, calm down! Breathe and take it easy!” I walk up to where he sits on the sand and place my hands on his bent knees. Tears are running down his face. Poor guy. “You’re not a monster.”

“I just killed those Howler pack werewolves, and… a part of me seemed to enjoy hearing them scream.”

I suck sticky air into my lungs, studying his face. His words aren’t making it any easier to love and accept him. I’m terrified of him turning into that hideous creature again. Am I truly safe with him? We haven’t completed the mating ritual and—

No.

Alex is still Alex. He lost control, but he is still the same man I fell in love with… even if he has tails and ears now.

“You lost control, and they were going to hurt me. That’s why you attacked them.”

He is still frowning at himself. “That still doesn’t justify what I did… and then laughing after doing it.”

Since I agree with him, I sigh and change the subject. “Come on. Why don’t we replace somewhere to sleep until we figure out how to make it back home? We need shelter.”

“That would be a good idea… there are many monsters in this dimension, and I don’t want you to get hurt…”

I actually manage a smile. “I’m tougher than I look,” I jokingly punch Alex’s arm, which is a mistake. His bicep is really firm, and the smile he gives me is affectionate.

“You’re plenty strong, Tarryn, but so are the monsters. I want to keep you safe from them, but I suppose… I’m also a monster now,” he looks down at my hand with a sad expression, seeming to hesitate whether or not to take it. In the end, he doesn’t and instead points ahead. “My old home is this way. Follow me.”